REAL!

I have been back in the country for 3 weeks now. It doesn't seem like it has been that long, but a lot has happened and kept me busy so it has flown by. God has given me SOOO many opportunities to share about my time in Asia with people. I am thankful for those opportunities and it seems that everyday I get a new one!

God has drastically changed my life and it is change for the better. My eyes are opened and I feel like I am actually able to breathe. I have a renewed heart and spirit. I feel like I am getting bits and pieces of the "bigger picture" everyday. I am constantly learning from God whether it be through my prayer time, His Word, or His people.

I have learned that Americans have NO CLUE what it means to be a Christian. We have no idea what it means to lay down our lives for our Lord and Savior. We cannot get over ourselves for even 5 minutes in a day to spend time with God. What is up with that?? Geez! I mean, the only reason we live, move, breathe, speak, and everything else we do is because of God and we cannot give Him the time He deserves. We stink. Horribly.

We have been given a message to proclaim wherever we go and do we do that? No. This message (AKA: THE GOSPEL) is pretty important. I mean, it does save lives. Who are we to sit in our little comfortable houses, comfortable cars, comfortable churches and not share with others the most important message that they will ever hear? I know stepping out of our comfort zones can be a big deal and all, but Jesus said to deny ourselves, pick up the cross and follow Him. When someone dies and rises from the dead 3 days later and gives instruction to us..um, we are supposed to do it.

So, what does it mean to be a Christian? It means denying yourself DAILY, picking up the cross DAILY, being bold DAILY, sharing the Gospel DAILY, overcoming sin DAILY, giving glory to God DAILY, reading His Word DAILY, praying to our awesome God DAILY, and seeking in everything you say, do, think, eat, and drink to bring God's holy kingdom glory! As important as these things are, we tend to forget them or let our flesh become more important. We would much rather have something else have priority over God, right? It is easy to do though if you are not constantly keeping yourself in check. Watching tv/movies, Facebook, Twitter, boyfriend/girlfriend, reading other books, pointless conversations..these are just some of the things we put before God. Why? Why are these things so important to us?

American Christianity is so crazy to me. It makes me really frustrated. We take EVERYTHING for granted. Like praying in a public place, openly reading your Bible, not having to talk about your God in code, and everything else. You know, some countries you are not allowed to talk openly about God, the one who can radically change your life. You are not allowed to pray in a public place. You have to watch everything you say because if you say the wrong thing then you get yourself into trouble. What if the US was this way? Who would be left to fight for their faith? Who would proclaim the Gospel? Who would withstand the persecution and count it joy to suffer for Christ? Would you go through trials upon trials and never deny your faith? These are the things I have been thinking about for weeks. I was in a country where the above mentioned things are not allowed.

My eyes were opened to Christians who were truly real about their lives with Christ. If you are a Christian in that country, then you are risking everything and everyone you know. There is no lukewarm Christians there, praise the Lord! They understand the urgency behind the Gospel and share it everyday, day in and day out. They read their Word. They study their Word. They risk their lives everyday. God challenged me while I was there and still is because I cannot get these people out of my head. I know what they are going through and what they face and they are not giving up. Their country's Christians are praying to send missionaries to the US. They are also praying that we face persecution, trials, and tribulations so we can stand up for our faith. I am praying with them. The United States of America needs the Lord something fierce. We really do. We need to take the God seriously and fear Him.

I just want people to be real.

How can God change your life? How can God use you to impact your community, state, country, and other countries?